Animal Control Ordinance
Recently Passed, But Needs Revisions
On April 30, 2024, the Commissioners held a public forum to solicit feedback from residents about proposed changes to the St. Mary’s County Animal Control Ordinance. The forum was well attended with a handful of common themes voiced by many: keeping license fees and fines for violations low, aligning license length with the length of a rabies vaccine, including a Trap, Neuter, Release (TNR) policy for feral cats, and refining the language on the commercial dog license needed for owners of 5 or more dogs.
The updated animal control ordinance was unanimously approved by the county commissioners in July 2024, following much work from the Department of Emergency Services (EMS) and the Animal Control Advisory Board. No significant ordinance changes were made to incorporate public feedback, though a sentence excluding community cat caretakers from being defined as “owners” of the animals was removed. Language was also inserted to allow the St. Mary’s County Animal Adoption and Resource Center to feed animals on county owned property. Despite lingering questions, the Commissioners approved the ordinance which included structures for dog license fees.
In October 2024, the Commissioners agreed to forward a proposed revision of the St. Mary’s County Animal Control Provisions in State law to the St. Mary’s County Delegation. The local ordinance approved in July is governed by these provisions. Modeling the statute for Carroll County, the revised State law would grant the Commissioners the ability to “provide for a comprehensive system for the regulation of domestic animals and wild animals kept in captivity” by issuing and keeping records of dog licenses, designating an authorized sales person for licenses, and seizing dogs running at-large. These directives are further defined through the local ordinance, rather than being specifically included in State law, permitting the Commissioners more latitude and ease to update as needed.
But the St. Mary’s Delegation voted not to advance the bill to the statehouse, with Delegate Matt Morgan (R-29A) proclaiming in a Facebook post on January 15th of this year that “Scruffy doesn’t have a job and shouldn’t be taxed.” Morgan’s celebration was meaningless, however, as the Commissioners already have the authority to set dog license fees under current law. Registering for a dog license has been free since at least 2018 and was voluntary.
Part of the goal in revising the ordinance was strengthening enforcement mechanisms for Animal Services, primarily focused on dangerous at-large or nuisance animals and negligent owners who aren’t providing proper care. Dog licenses require a rabies vaccination and are a method of controlling rabies infections and protecting public health. Fees associated would contribute to the animal service division’s budget. EMS Director Jennifer Utz repeatedly assured Commissioners that license enforcement would only occur as a result of an interaction with Animal Services personnel.
Commissioners reviewed proposed dog license fees at the March 11th budget work session (BWS). Commissioner Colvin focused on the commercial dog license applying to anyone with five or more dogs. Fees proposed for the FY26 budget were:
Commercial Kennel License
5 to 11 animals, $100
12 to 24 animals, $200
25 or more animals, $400
Failure to license results in court appearance and up to $1,000 fine
Dog License
Altered (spayed or neutered) $5
Unaltered $20
Colvin confirmed with EMS Director Utz that, as the ordinance currently reads, anyone who owns 5 dogs or more meets the criteria for needing a commercial license. “Sounds like we need to change the ordinance,” Commissioner Hewitt remarked. The Commissioners agreed they wanted to keep the status quo, not charging for dog licenses, while also directing Utz to revisit the ordinance with more specific language to better define who is required to obtain a commercial kennel license. Those who attended the public forum nearly a year ago pointed out the need for the same changes, but the Commissioners approved the ordinance as written anyway. Incorporating public feedback last year could have saved time, and county resources, spent doing duplicative work.
